Overview
Health psychology is the study of psychological and behavioural processes in health, illness, and healthcare. It is concerned with understanding how psychological, behavioural, and cultural factors contribute to physical health and illness.
Health Psychologists promote healthier lifestyles. They try to find ways to encourage people to improve their health and also to improve the healthcare system as a whole. For example, helping people to lose weight or stop smoking, or advising healthcare providers on better ways to communicate with their patients.
You’ll learn to use your knowledge of psychology to promote general wellbeing and understand physical illness. We will teach you the skills needed to help people deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of health and illness, and to support people who have long-term conditions.
Our MSc Health Psychology has an experiential focus and emphasises the application of health psychology to real world settings. The course includes contributions from health psychology trainees and healthcare practitioners. You will carry out a brief observational placement in a health related setting, which can include third sector (charities) or industry, and the NHS (virtual or in person). You’ll usually arrange this placement yourself with support from the course team.
This Masters in Health Psychology is designed to meet the British Psychological Society’s requirements for Stage 1 training towards professional Health Psychologist status. Through formal teaching and practical experience, you’ll acquire relevant skills and core competencies as a basis for professional training in health psychology (Stage Two) or other applications of psychology to health issues.
Top reasons to study with us
Course objectives
This accredited course aims to provide the first part (Stage 1) of postgraduate training in Health Psychology, in accordance with the BPS requirements, by:
- Enabling students to understand and critically appraise the theoretical basis of Health Psychology, including psychological models and methods applicable to the study and understanding of health and health care issues.
- Enabling students to critically evaluate the application of Health Psychology approaches to practice, policy and research in health service or related settings.
- Making students aware of the unique contribution psychology can make to the understanding of health, illness and health care issues, within a multidisciplinary framework.
- Enabling students to formulate, design and carry out their own empirical research project to a publishable standard.
Students will acquire relevant skills and core competencies via formal teaching and practical experience of Health Psychology applications, which will provide a basis for continuing into professional training in Health Psychology (Stage 2) or other applications of psychology to health issues.
Professional accreditation
Students
Work placements
You’ll carry out a brief observational placement in a health or social care setting, which can include third sector (charities), industry or the NHS (virtual or in-person). You’ll usually arrange this placement yourself with support from the course team.
Flexible learning
If you’re interested in studying a module from this course, the Postgraduate Certificate or the Postgraduate Diploma then please email Graduate Admissions to discuss your course of study.
Faculty facilities
The Division of Psychology has outstanding laboratory space fitted with high-quality equipment. It has excellent computing infrastructure, and both research and teaching activities are supported by in-house technical staff with computing, programming, electronic and audio-video expertise.
We've invested heavily in research infrastructure, including our own Psychology Kindergarten, which provides an outstanding facility for developmental research and teaching. We also have a brand new Lifespan Lab which is a cross-disciplinary research lab focused on understanding cognition, health and wellbeing from infancy through to old age. Purpose-built laboratory space has also been created to support human electrophysiology research (EEG/ERPs), health research (including GSR and heart rate monitoring), face research (including eye-tracking) and vision research (including stereoscopic displays).
Research overview
In the Research Excellence Framework 2021, we ranked 2nd in Scotland for research impact in Psychology. 100% of our research impact and environment, and 87% of our overall research in Psychology is classed as world leading or internationally excellent.
Our MSc Health Psychology students get involved in our lively community of research excellence.
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
A minimum of a 2.1 honours degree in Psychology or related subject or a Psychology (Conversion) degree with Merit.
A qualification recognised by British Psychological Society giving Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership is preferred.
Students accepted without a BPS-recognised qualification and intending to progress to BPS Stage Two training towards
Find out more about our Psychology accredited conversion course.
International entry requirements
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each sub-skill.
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 62 overall with 60 in each sub-skill.
- IBT TOEFL 80 overall with 18 in reading, 23 in writing, 19 in listening and 21 in speaking.
See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.
Pre-sessional English language courses
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.
Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses.
Course details
You'll take three modules in each semester with a research project over the spring and summer months.
Modules
Course Details
Teaching
We combine formal teaching, workshops and practical experience of health psychology applications.
Where possible, each of the course modules will include teaching input from practitioners and health psychology trainees working with individuals or groups, either in a research or service delivery context.
All members of the course team are accessible to students and will provide you with a flexible, individualised and engaging training experience that meets your needs. The modules are delivered in seminars which include
Assessment
Assessment is by formal exams and coursework, including oral presentations, essays, group work, critical reviews of research and dissertation.
Course director
Fees and funding
Fees and costs
| 2024/25 | 2025/26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Students from the UK and Republic of Ireland | £9,100 | £9,500 |
| International (including EU) students | £20,600 | £22,900 |
University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our Stirling Alumni Scholarship.
Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.
Fees shown are for a full-time, one-year Masters course.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Eligible students could receive a scholarship worth between £4,000-£7,000. See our range of generous scholarships for international postgraduate students.
Fees shown are for a full-time, one-year Masters course.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
Some intakes of this course are eligible for a postgraduate tuition fee loan from one of the UK’s governments. See the Scholarships and funding section, below, for more details.
Digital Health and Care Institute Bursary
The bursary will pay £7,775 towards MSc Health Psychology course fees and the university will waive the remaining £1,325.00 pounds of fees.
If you are interested, please read the information sheet which includes eligibility criteria and complete the application form. Return the completed form to Nicola Hunt nicola.hunt@stir.ac.uk by 23 August at midday.
Additional costs
There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees.
Scholarships and funding
Funding
Eligible international students could receive a scholarship worth between £4,000-£7,000. See our range of generous scholarships for international postgraduate students.
University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our Stirling Alumni Scholarship.
Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.
If you have the talent, ability and drive to study with us, we want to make sure you make the most of the opportunity – regardless of your financial circumstances.
Learn more about available funding opportunities or use our scholarship finder to explore our range of scholarships.
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
Scottish students may be eligible to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for loans of up to £11,500 to cover tuition fees and associated living costs.
English students can apply for a loan of up to £12,167 each year as part of the Postgraduate Masters Loan Scheme.
Welsh students can apply for financial support of up to £18,770 as a combination of grant and loan from Student Finance Wales.
Northern Irish students can apply for a postgraduate tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 from Student Finance NI.
International students may be able to gain additional funding from loan providers.
Cost of living
If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.
International (including EU) students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.
Payment options
We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay
After you graduate
Health Psychology is one of the fastest growing areas of applied psychology and our Masters provides you with the first stage of professional training towards becoming a health psychologist. Students intending to go on to become registered Health Psychologists can achieve this by working in healthcare or in academic posts. Scotland is unique in offering a two-year NHS-funded training course for Stage Two health psychology trainees. A Professional Doctorate Health Psychology (Stage 2; 3 years full time) is also now offered at the University of Stirling.
Health psychologists are employed in various settings:
- health assessments and management strategies for people with long-term conditions, for example, those with cancer or chronic pain;
- rehabilitation programmes, e.g. for patients with coronary heart disease;
- working with patients and carers in palliative care;
- working with primary health care teams in the community;
- health education and health promotion in educational or industrial settings;
- conducting evaluative research in order to provide a research evidence base for health policy decisions;
- influencing health behaviours, for example in smoking cessation programmes, weight reduction, or sexual health;
- carrying out teaching and research in academic settings;
- teaching and training health care providers.
More information about health psychology in general, BPS Chartership and careers can be found at the British Psychological Society, Division of Health Psychology website.
Employability skills
You’ll learn key transferable skills by carrying out observational placements in healthcare settings and dissertations that often involve delivery of an intervention. You’ll also carry out presentations, learn communication and interviewing skills and behaviour change techniques.
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